Abstract

This chapter addresses the changes produced in the Portuguese political system in the wake of the sovereign debt crisis. While in many European countries traditional political parties have lost a large share of the votes to anti-systemic parties, Portugal has bucked the trend. However, the crisis has produced a major political change, otherwise impossible, given past antagonisms. A Socialist minority government is now supported in Parliament by the other two left-wing political parties. The alliance, in its second year at the time of writing, has been gradually reversing austerity measures, offering an interesting example of anti-austerity politics in practice.